Thursday, August 22, 2013

With all the extreme couponing and people trying to save a dolla wherever they can, it's hard to remember things that you should have to pay full price on.

There are somethings in life you just should ever ever skimp out on....

Never EVER Skimp out

on bras

cars

car mechanics

school

These are just a few things that come to mind. No lady wants a cheap bra that when you are working quietly at your desk and feel your bra pop. Something broke and now your ta-tas are flopping every where. Nobody wants to see that mess. You better pack a back up if you buy cheap bras. Also with cheap bras you sometimes get mishaped cups. Yes, cone shaped is not a good look honey.

Who ever said a cheap car was a good car was wrong. Used or brand new, cheap cars suck eventually. You can always see cheap cars on the road and what leaves you stranded. Those brands are frequent. I won't point them out, you know what a cheap car is. Everyone does.

Car mechanics can be crooks. They can turn a simple fix into a big problem. If you don't trust your mechanic then you've got problems.

School. No one wants to hire someone with just a high school diploma any more. Get your brain full and go on to college and get quality education from somewhere like Clemson University, Texas A & M, University of Georgia or even Kansas State. No I'm not biased. Ha! Don't get your edumahcatishun from Wally World or the Dolla Stoe. You won't get that dream job you are looking for without the proper credentials. Just sayin.

I there are things you can skimp out on. Like going through the Drive Thru and getting one of each off the dollar menu. Don't. Just Don't. It adds to your fatness, not your fitness. You can also skimp out on that electric pink, glow in the dark lipstick. That was only cool in the 90's when we all played under then black lights. Okay, and maybe it's might be acceptable at Halloween. With the right costume.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

So, I realized it's been a hot minute or two since I've shared little tid bits going on in this life of mine. Summer is so busy and I'm loving every minute of it, as I'm sure all of you are!

Reading: Blogs and still catching up on what I've missed since I went on vacation.

Listening to: I'm not gonna lie, I sort of like Miley Cyrus's song 'We Can't Stop'. I love the beat. Tyler Farr's Redneck Crazy, Tim McGraw's Southern Girl is my freakin theme song right now! I'm still loving on some Florida Georgia Line and will hopefully get to go to one of their concerts this year! Loving: That in 5 days I will start a new job! I'm pretty excited! That Zane Started Kindergarten without a hitch! He is loving it and I'm super stoked! I loved elementary school!

Wearing: Jeans and a t-shirt. I can get away with wearing it to work now, but soon I will have to be in business casual. Gone were the days of my boots and jeans.

Looking Forward To: Making new friends at the new job and learning new things. I've also been nipped by the Fall bug! I am ready for fall! We've had so much rain this summer that it barely even felt like summer! Maybe Labor day will pull through and be bright, sunny, and dry! Speaking of Labor Day, I'm gonna be beach bound with a blogger sistah! Pamela and I are gonna beach it up at the Surfside house with our men! I cannot wait!

Cooking/Baking: I'm a bad wife and mom. I haven't cooked a lot this summer at all. We've taken advantage of going out with friends or going to our parent's homes for dinner! When I do cook, it's nothing out of the normal cuisine for us. I need to get back into a routine of cooking 4 times a week!

Wishing: Fall would make it's presence and the rain would quit flooding every where! I'm also wishing the money fairy would stop by because I need new business casual clothing and shoes! I only have boots and flip flops right now. I don't think that goes well with khaki pants. ha!

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What's been up with you lately? I haven't heard from just a few of you in blogland in the past week or so. I hope you are out enjoying the sunshine. If you have any!

Monday, August 19, 2013

Tomorrow starts a new journey for us. Mostly for Zane but for us as parents too. Zane starts kindergarten tomorrow! I can honestly say that I am not nervous. I've prepared myself for this day and I am confident that he will do well.

We've had a few 'firsts' this year. He played his first sport, t-ball, this past spring. I don't think I could have been any more proud than the day he hit that ball without a tee out into to outfield. He was proud of himself too! He also finally caught his first fish. I missed it, but him and Daddy had a great time bonding and fishing. As you know we also got to go on a big vacation this year. All Zane has talked about was the Statue of Liberty and meeting Eustace Conway. I don't think this kid will ever be the same. If he turns out to become a mountain man later in life, it won't surprise me.

The boy is quite independent for a 5 year old. We don't let him rule the roost, but some times he thinks he does and has to be put in his place. I'm not sure what I expected him to be like when he was a baby, but I know now that he will be the country boy that he is destined to be. If you ask him today what he wants to be when he grows up, he can't give you an answer. Sometimes it's "I don't know", "a fireman", "a policeman", or even a "game warden". Any of which are great. I'm okay with him not knowing for sure what he wants to be. He has many many years before he has to decide, or at least have a major in college. We all know you mind changes a lot in college too. I want him to be loyal and respectful in whatever that life brings him.

I wish Zane nothing but the best in life. He's already pinky promised me that even if he is all grown up, he will always be Mama's baby. So I'm not worried about that. What I do worry about is if he will be on his best behavior, not be influenced by other to do bad things, and all the other things that are probably going to happen any way. I'm sort of okay with it because he has to learn how to deal with those sorts of things in life. Starting school is a big deal because it shaped their minds and creates them into who they are going to be.

I pray that Zane has a great year in kindergarten and that he learns as much as he can to strive to better everyday.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

This is the final leg of our trip. We wanted to relax and not be on the road the last half of vacation. So where do you go to relax? The beach of course! We went to the Outerbanks in North Carolina. We love this place so much. It's laid back and not as commercialized as Myrtle Beach is. We also LOVE the fact that you can drive on the beach in the designated areas. A huge plus to that is you can get up close and personal with the wild horses that roam the island. The hubs loves to play on the dunes and ride forever on the beach. I was hoping all week to get a family photo so, I got out the tripod and set it up in the sand and took some shots with the timer and continuous shot to get at least one good one out of ten! ha! I got some good ones, but I will spare you all of those! The day we were out on the beach it was hazy the whole day and kept looking like it was going to rain at any moment, but it didn't. No one was playing in the water because it was cold out. Strange weather for the summer. But people were hanging out on the beach playing games and fishing.

We stayed at the Outerbanks for 3 days. It rained almost the whole time other than going to drive on the beach. We shopped and relaxed the whole time. It was nice to not have places to run to to site see like we did earlier in the week. I think we were all 3 tired.

Friday we rolled into Boone, NC. We had reservations to visit Turtle Island on Saturday! Turtle Island you say? Have you ever watched Mountain Men on the History Channel? Well the hubs LOVES that show, especially Eustace Conway! The hubs would love to live like he does! He found out that you can take a tour at his place, Turtle Island Preserve, so he got online and got the number to call and made a reservation for the end of our rode trip! Boy, was it a great end to our trip! When we arrived we were so excited to see what we would see or encounter while at T.I. While walking to the Base Camp we came across tee pees that Eustace had lived in and a building that was a place of rest that a boys youth camp had built one summer.

After meeting with some of the interns, Zane found the tree house. He just had to go up, which was fine. It was up very high and Steve went up too so that he could make sure Zane was safe. He made it and was happy that he went up! Then we hitched a ride with Eustace for our tour. He was the most personable, humble, wise man that I had ever met. Fame isn't his thing. He is so down to earth and just loved Zane. Zane was enamored by him. We rode in that buggy for two hours! It was a lot to see! We talked to Eustace the whole tour! He asked what we did for a living and where we lived. Like I said, so personable. When he found out that Steve has mechanical skills, he invited Steve to stick around to work on things around Turtle Island. He could volunteer anytime and Eustace would love to have him! That just tickled the Hubs to death! He plans to go back once he gets some free time! After our buggy ride, we walked around looking at different things and we found some snakes. I'm talking like 4 or 5 different snakes getting warm on some rocks in the foundation of one of the buildings. Well Eustace pointed out the garter snakes, some black snakes, and then I impressed him and pointed out a copperhead. It felt good for me, being the only girl! ha!We left it alone, but after he walked us to the base camp, he went back and caught that copperhead and put it in a bucket to do away with later. We bought some t-shirts and a book Eustace wrote from the items he had for sale. He came back over and signed the book for us and wrote it to Zane. Talk about tearing up. This Moma did!

We plan to go back sometime for one of the family camps that they do. It will be an adventure that we will talk about for years to come! This tour will be something that none of us will never forget.

Thank you Eustace Conway and your interns for having us and being so welcoming and gracious to us while we were there. See ya soon!

Note: This is NOT a very flattering picture of me. I look I'm stiff necked with a tire around my midsection. Wait, that tire, it's just a fat roll. Keepin real. haha! We didn't take a lot of pictures because we were taking it all in. This is as good as it gets!

We had a great vacation and I'm thankful that we were able to take such a trip. We love to travel and that is what we did. I cannot wait to see what next summer holds. Watch out, we may come to a location near you!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

﻿Day Five: We slept in and had breakfast at Denny's. Bleh, IHop is so much better. Just sayin. We heard there was an aquarium and heard it was a really nice place to go. I don't guess they've ever really been to a nice aquarium, because we were not impressed. I mean, the Georgia Aquarium is where it's at! #SorryI'mNotSorry There were a few tanks with saltwater fish and other salt life, shark models, penguins, and some sea lions you could see twice a day for like 20 minutes. Zane had fun while we were there. That's what counted. After that we got in the jeep and headed to NYC!

Our hotel was in New Jersey and we rode the Staten Island Ferry over to NYC. That was a little awkward at first just because of ALL the people. I was prepared for it to be crowded but not that bad. Sketch pads (weird ppl) every freakin where! The views from the ferry made up for it. Sadly we couldn't go to Ellis Island while we were there but at least we got to see Lady Liberty in the flesh! ha!

Once we got off the ferry we had to figure out the subway. THAT was interesting. We had no idea what we were doing, but once we started asking questions we got the hang of it. There are still a few nice people in New York City. Our first stop was Times Square. That's all I really cared about seeing. I just wanted to say that I had seen/been to Times Square. It was so overwhelming! We had no plan which was not really a good idea. We decided to walk around a little and if we saw a store we wanted to visit, we'd stop. Zane noticed ALL the 'characters' that were on each corner. There was Spiderman, Hello Kitty, Ironman, Transformers, and even Buzz and Woody. Zane saw Woody and a kid posed in front to get his picture taken by mom. As soon as the boy moved, Zane jumped in front of Woody and said "Cheese Mom!" I tried to say, "I don't have any cash, sorry!" The 'character' insisted. I looked at Steve and he said "All I have is a twenty, sorry man." They 'character' said I have change, and gave Steve four five dollar bills. So we just paid that creep $5 to take our own photo with him in his halloween costume. Gee Thanks! I hope that Starbucks you bought with that $5 didn't burn your tongue!

After we were suckered into a photo with Woody, Zane spotted "Toys For Us" (as he called it), we had to go in! This store was HUGE! I'm not even exaggerating!

This ToysRUs was 4 levels with a Ferris wheel and food court inside! We walked around seeing the Hot wheels section and then ventured to the Nintendo section. Zane picked out a game and we jetted out of there as fast as possible.

After that we got back on the subway and rode it up to Lincoln Center. We walked over to Central Park. You just can't go to NYC without seeing Central Park! It was neat! I wish that we had more time to hang around but the sun was starting to go down and we still wanted to grab some pizza before catching a ferry back to Staten Island. While in the park we got to see Trump Tower, the bridge/tunnel from Home Alone, and the carousel. I wanted to see the fountains and a few other things while in Central Park but we just ran out of time. I'm using that as an excuse to go back! The hubs said he didn't lose anything there and won't be back to NYC unless he has to! ha! We'll see about that!

Our ride home on the ferry was gorgeous! It was a great end to the day to see the sunset on the city and to see Lady Liberty glow as the sun went down. It seemed like the ferry took it's time going back across just so that we could take it all in. I sat there soaking up the day and thinking about how blessed we really are. I took a moment to thank God for all he had done for us and what he does for us everyday. This was a great trip and I'm glad we stopped in NYC! I will be back one day! Ta-Ta for now!

Friday, August 09, 2013

Dear Readers, Thank you for sticking around even when I take off for 10 days! Social media still kept us connected! Sounds crazy, but I'm thankful! Dear Hubby, First, thank you for putting up with my crazy moods sometimes when I flip my lid! Thank you for an amazing vacation. You always pick the best places! Does this mean next summer I get to pick?!? Kauai, HI here we come? Maybe? ha! Dear Zane, Your behavior has me concerned a tid bit. You're starting school one week from Tuesday and I need you to be that sweet mannered little boy you used to be! How can you be starting Kindergarten all ready? Always be my baby, okay? Dear BFF, I miss our craft dates and shopping dates. Can we plan one soon? Call me maybe? Dear Amy, I'm strangely missing KS. Maybe it's because you are there! I love the friendship that we have built. Maybe I need to plan a trip to visit and play! Dear Friday & Weekend, Please be kind and gentle. I need a break and complete laziness followed by a maid. Send one asap! Thanks a mill!

Thursday, August 08, 2013

Are y'all ready for Day 3? It's gonna be one big picture overload! Consider yourself warned! But who don't like pictures?

So day 3 we headed over towards Niagara Falls, NY. On the way there we found two lighthouses! I cannot pass up a beautiful lighthouse without taking a few pictures! The one on the far left is actually in the city of Erie and the one on the right is in the town next to it. The shore next to the one on the right was sandy and had lots of moss and geese poop every where! Zane loved the big ship wrecked boat that was there. It was so colorful!

After seeing the lighthouses we got back on the road again. We didn't stop until we got to Niagara Falls! I had no idea what it would be like. The town was amazing in itself. There was so much to explore! Luckily we all had on our walking shoes! Seeing the views was breathtaking!﻿ We walked around and took the scene all in. Then we made a plan to get on the Maid of Mist. It's a boat that takes you up close and personal to the falls! I was scared that we'd get soaking we so we went back to the car and left our phones and my camera there so they wouldn't get ruined. I wish now that I would have at least brought my phone. We barely got wet. It was mostly on our feet. They provide you with a big blue poncho and it keeps you dry. The mist down at the bottom feels more like rain because it is so heavy. If you ever get the chance to go to Niagara Falls, ride the Maid of Mist! SO SO SO Worth it! The city you see to the right is Ontario, Canada! We don't have passports so we couldn't go! Next time we will though!

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After we finished touring around the town we decided to break out the watermelon my parents sent with us! It was the perfect afternoon snack! We're country folk and just cut it on the cooler right in the parking lot and ate it. You should have seen all the looks people gave us! I even asked some if the would like a piece! ha! While we were snacking we decided to stay the night in Niagara Falls. Best decision ever! We were able to back to the falls and watch the light show and fireworks! Before we went to see that show, we got dinner and hung out in the hotel to relax. Well, I relaxed, the boys, I do mean boys, wrestled. I think Zane kicked the Hubs tail! Haha!

The falls were beautiful at night! We went out onto the Observation Deck to watch. We had a great view! The only thing I would change about this part of the trip was to have our passports (that we've never had) so that we could go over into Canada! We sho will next time y'all!

Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Hey Y'all! I'm happy as a lark! So much is changing and happening around here! I cannot wait to share with you, but not just yet! All in good time my friend! {no, sorry, I am not prego!}

To recap our trip I'm gonna try to break it down into just a few posts. We all know we like to drag these out! I just like to share my photos from the trip and to put all of them in one post just doesn't work! Am I right?

DAY 1 on the Smith's road trip we headed north to PA! If you followed along on instagram you saw a good bit of the places we went to but I didn't share everything, so tune in!

Have you ever watched or heard of the show that comes on GAC called Farm Kings? We love it! It shows how hard the King family works to keep their multiple family businesses going on a daily basis. On our way up to Erie, PA the Hubs got the bright idea to visit their Market! So we googled the location and luckily it wasn't too much out of the way!

We got us some strawberry preserves, t-shirts, and peaches from the Market! We did see one family member while we were there. It was Ben! He was helping work in the cafe area and would smile and look at us every time we moved. I wanted to go over and just hug him tight, but I was afraid to. So I kept to myself. It was fun seeing the market and all the items they had for sale.

Next stop, Erie, Pennsylvania! What started this whole road trip for us was a friend's wedding! We got invited to one of the hubs off road buddies nuptials! We were so excited and made it a week long road trip. #NoRegretsEither

We stayed at a cute little motel/cottage place right on the lake. When we got out of the jeep I was so happy about the temperatures! It was so cool and hardly any humidity! We arrived at sunset, so we were greeted by amazing views of the lake! We relaxed the whole evening since we had been on the road all day!

The next day we got all dolled up and headed to the church for the wedding!

It was a cute and simple wedding! The church was beautiful! Sadly, I didn't take my camera in. I was not sure how the bride and groom felt about someone taking pictures with a big camera, so out of respect, I left it in the car. It was too bad because a lot of people had them! I did take some with the Hubs phone but they are pretty blurry.

After the wedding we went to the reception and had a fabulous dinner with dancing and a photo booth!

After the reception, the happy couple invited all of their guests to their home to finish celebrating! From ping pong to Jeep rides it was lots of fun! We stayed until midnight and Zane was asking to go to bed! ha! Good times with good friends!

We slept in the next morning then packed up to head out for the next adventure! Look out Niagara Falls, NY the Smith's are coming for ya!